This paper provides an analysis of a 1991 survey of the views of a stratified random sample of 1,105 Ontario farmers. Factor analysis, Kruskal—Wallis one-way ANOVA, chi-square and correlations were used to identify differences in farmers' attitudes toward rural environmental issues as a function of their demographic and farm characteristics. Younger, well-educated farmers, especially if female, were most concerned about the seriousness of rural environmental degradation. The largest operators expressed the greatest support for the use of agricultural chemicals, were most (...) opposed to government conservation regulations and were least environmentally oriented. Such differences between Australian and Ontario farmers as the former's greater cautiousness about governmental regulation and receptivity to the Green Movement are a function of differing demographic and farm characteristics between Australia and Ontario. (shrink)

This study was undertaken to assess farmers’ attitudes toward sustainable agriculture and the environment. The majority of Ontario farmers in this 1991 survey supported the need for government policies which promote sustainable agriculture but there were major differences in the government policies which farmers thought would be sustainable or desirable. Most farmers felt the Government should promote diversified rural economic development, sponsor appropriate research and provide conservation grants to farmers willing to change to more sensitive environmental methods. Those least interested (...) in forms of government intervention designed to enhance agricultural sustainability operated the largest farms. Conversely, those most likely to be receptive to government regulations and interventions designed to enhance rural equity, stability, productivity and sustainability were the smaller operation farmers who most often had off-farm employment. (shrink)